Non-Pharmacological Practices That Are Used by Cancer Patients for Controlling Chemotherapy-Related Pain

Objective: This is a descriptive study that was conducted with the purpose of determining the nonpharmacological practices that are used by cancer patients for controlling the pain that develops in relation to chemotherapy. Method: This study was carried out between May 2015 and December 2015 at a state hospital in Kastamonu, Turkey. It was conducted with 50 patients who were receiving chemotherapy treatment at the state hospital. A personal information form and the McGill Melzack Pain Questionnaire Form were used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used for the statistical analyses. Findings: It was determined that 54% of the patients felt pain on their torso, 28% had fatiguing pain and 54% stated that they felt pain inside (deep in the body). 64% described their pain as a disturbing sense, while 48% said their pain was intermittent. There was no significant relationship between the pain characteristics of the patients before or after administering chemotherapy drugs and all dimensions of pain, pain index or pain levels (p>0.05). Conclusion: It was found that most patients felt a disturbing form of pain, and the practice they used the most frequently was "restricting movement and self-persuasion." There was no significant relationship between the pain characteristics before or after administering chemotherapy drugs and all dimensions of pain, pain index or pain levels.